Welcome to an odd version of the City Scoop. In the course of normal publishing, this would be Volume 2, Issue 36. What those numbers mean is that we should be on the 36th issue of our 2nd year of publishing. That is actually not bad for a purely volunteer group running a (mostly) weekly online paper for an organization as big as City of Heroes and Villains.
However, we are not actually on the 36th issue, because we're a little short on articles to put in it. In fact, some of you have noticed - and commented - on the fact that the recent issues have been shorter than in the past, and wondered why. Others have commented on the fact that we have occasionally missed a week, only to put out a double-sized issue the week following. The reason for both of these occurrences is actually the same: the City Scoop is short on staff.
In her Get Involved! article last week (February 20th), Kyo-chan discussed volunteering for the Scoop. Several months ago, Snow_Globe wrote a similar article with a few more details. Links to both of those articles are to the side. In addition, anyone who works on the Scoop, especially any of the editors, will be happy to talk with you about the possibility of your working with us.
The Short Of It
Please realize that the Scoop is not just looking for people who can write long series of articles. While we would love that, certainly, we're equally happy to take single articles (400-800 words) that describe events, explain game features, or give any other sort of information that the players want to share with each other. We would also be more than happy to have artwork, additional multi-panel comics, and single-panel comics. We have three main rules about submissions:
[*] All material must qualify for the game's "T" rating (no racy stuff!). [*] We may not take "editorials." [*] Anyone who submits must be willing to work with the copy edit staff to get their work cleared for publication. [/list]
The T rating mostly comes into play when submitting artwork or comics for use on the Scoop pages. We adore getting artwork and comics! Sometimes we can use submissions, sometimes not - but if we don't have them submitted, we definitely cannot.
Editorials are a problem for us. We would like to be able to publish well written editorials, but once the door is opened, how do we make the choice of which editorial to publish, when there are so many people asking? On the other hand, there are large swathes of forums available for the same thing, and we do not have to edit those. However, if we tell you that an article you have submitted is an editorial and you did not mean it to be, please see the copy editors for help.
Working with the copy edit staff is not difficult. Their main job is proofreading, occasionally fact checking, and working with the author on clarification when needed. If you're not willing to work with the editor we may have a difficult time publishing your piece. This is not out of spite, but simply because we want to make sure that you are understood.
The Long Of It
What happens if you do have an idea for a series of articles? Write up a basic outline of the series, along with the first installment and PM the whole thing, along with an introduction, to the Editor In Chief or an Assistant Editor In Chief. The Scoop staff will discuss the series, and you'll get an answer.
On the other hand, if you would like a different position, the methods vary. For Puzzle Writer, you'll need to PM the Editor in Chief a link to a sample puzzle and indicate other puzzles you'd like to include. If you'd like to be an Event or Staff Writer, we'll want a writing sample - you can cover a local Hamidon or Mothership raid for inspiration, then PM the result to the Editor in Chief or an Assistant Editor In Chief. Both Event and Staff Writing positions involve receiving assignments, so be sure that would be something you are willing to do before you apply. In some cases, it may not necessarily even mean going to the event! Finally, if you'd like to come in as a Proofreader, please send a PM to a member of the Copy Edit staff.
The Rest Of It
In addition to the three main rules above, there is one more important rule about submission, and it is one that we cannot help at all:
Submissions must be in a minimum of 9 days before publication for articles, or 6 days before publication for artwork, or we will hold them until the next week.
This means that, for publication on a Friday, you must submit the articles by Wednesday of the previous week. This allows us time to proof the articles and - if necessary - discuss any changes with the author. It also allows plenty of time to get artwork, ask for screenshots, do the layout, and generally do everything else that goes into getting the Scoop ready to go up into the Announcements section of the forum. There may be an occasional extension for publically scheduled events posted prior to Wednesday happening on Thursday and Friday - please speak with the Scoop staff for more information. The Artwork submission time is Saturday at midnight, and that gives us time to figure out how much we have - and to go find more if we come up short.
If you are an event coordinator and think you might want your event covered in the Scoop, get in touch with us for our new Event Reporting Form! You can use it as a guideline to writing your own article about your event, or you can simply fill it in, and we'll write your article for you! Get it before you start your event, that way you have it on hand, can note down any memorable events as they happen, and make sure you get the names down immediately.
Additionally, if you have any ideas on articles you might like to see in the Scoop, but just don't think you can do an article justice, feel free to contact any of the Editing staff and make the suggestion. It might take a little while for us to write the article, but we will definitely give it some consideration. After all, this paper is for you, and what you want to see in it matters to us.
Oh, and for the publication of Volume 2, Issue 36? Watch for it next Friday, March 6th.
Message from Equation to Arbiter Fabulous fans:
A very, very dear friend of mine was struck by a car and killed recently. Due to this, I may need to go cross-country to his funeral sometime soon.
I encourage you to send in letters to Arbiter Fabulous with screenshots, and I will try to have an article next week. Sadly, I just do not have it in me to do my normal rounds of humor.
I do ask one thing of you all: If you have a close friend, one that you may not have talked to recently, then please, for me, call them and just tell them how much they truly mean to you.
The City Scoop is an evolving publication, but we have a few core goals we try to hold to. We try to collect and present the vibe of the forums and the community for everyone to read. We try to cover events timely and important, as well as things that are educational, interesting, or just plain amusing. We love having a Scoop done every week but it's hard because Real Life Comes First has been our biggest guiding star. We don't expect people to write every week, and all we ask is folks who want to contribute on a regular basis let us know if they are running low on inspiration.
If you have something you want to share with the community, or just think you have some skills with layout or editing that you think can help us out, then get in touch with us.
Help Needed!
By Cende
Welcome to an odd version of the City Scoop. In the course of normal publishing, this would be Volume 2, Issue 36. What those numbers mean is that we should be on the 36th issue of our 2nd year of publishing. That is actually not bad for a purely volunteer group running a (mostly) weekly online paper for an organization as big as City of Heroes and Villains.
However, we are not actually on the 36th issue, because we're a little short on articles to put in it. In fact, some of you have noticed - and commented - on the fact that the recent issues have been shorter than in the past, and wondered why. Others have commented on the fact that we have occasionally missed a week, only to put out a double-sized issue the week following. The reason for both of these occurrences is actually the same: the City Scoop is short on staff.
In her Get Involved! article last week (February 20th), Kyo-chan discussed volunteering for the Scoop. Several months ago, Snow_Globe wrote a similar article with a few more details. Links to both of those articles are to the side. In addition, anyone who works on the Scoop, especially any of the editors, will be happy to talk with you about the possibility of your working with us.
The Short Of It
Please realize that the Scoop is not just looking for people who can write long series of articles. While we would love that, certainly, we're equally happy to take single articles (400-800 words) that describe events, explain game features, or give any other sort of information that the players want to share with each other. We would also be more than happy to have artwork, additional multi-panel comics, and single-panel comics. We have three main rules about submissions:
[*] All material must qualify for the game's "T" rating (no racy stuff!). [*] We may not take "editorials." [*] Anyone who submits must be willing to work with the copy edit staff to get their work cleared for publication. [/list]
The T rating mostly comes into play when submitting artwork or comics for use on the Scoop pages. We adore getting artwork and comics! Sometimes we can use submissions, sometimes not - but if we don't have them submitted, we definitely cannot.
Editorials are a problem for us. We would like to be able to publish well written editorials, but once the door is opened, how do we make the choice of which editorial to publish, when there are so many people asking? On the other hand, there are large swathes of forums available for the same thing, and we do not have to edit those. However, if we tell you that an article you have submitted is an editorial and you did not mean it to be, please see the copy editors for help.
Working with the copy edit staff is not difficult. Their main job is proofreading, occasionally fact checking, and working with the author on clarification when needed. If you're not willing to work with the editor we may have a difficult time publishing your piece. This is not out of spite, but simply because we want to make sure that you are understood.
The Long Of It
What happens if you do have an idea for a series of articles? Write up a basic outline of the series, along with the first installment and PM the whole thing, along with an introduction, to the Editor In Chief or an Assistant Editor In Chief. The Scoop staff will discuss the series, and you'll get an answer.
On the other hand, if you would like a different position, the methods vary. For Puzzle Writer, you'll need to PM the Editor in Chief a link to a sample puzzle and indicate other puzzles you'd like to include. If you'd like to be an Event or Staff Writer, we'll want a writing sample - you can cover a local Hamidon or Mothership raid for inspiration, then PM the result to the Editor in Chief or an Assistant Editor In Chief. Both Event and Staff Writing positions involve receiving assignments, so be sure that would be something you are willing to do before you apply. In some cases, it may not necessarily even mean going to the event! Finally, if you'd like to come in as a Proofreader, please send a PM to a member of the Copy Edit staff.
The Rest Of It
In addition to the three main rules above, there is one more important rule about submission, and it is one that we cannot help at all:
Submissions must be in a minimum of 9 days before publication for articles, or 6 days before publication for artwork, or we will hold them until the next week.
This means that, for publication on a Friday, you must submit the articles by Wednesday of the previous week. This allows us time to proof the articles and - if necessary - discuss any changes with the author. It also allows plenty of time to get artwork, ask for screenshots, do the layout, and generally do everything else that goes into getting the Scoop ready to go up into the Announcements section of the forum. There may be an occasional extension for publically scheduled events posted prior to Wednesday happening on Thursday and Friday - please speak with the Scoop staff for more information. The Artwork submission time is Saturday at midnight, and that gives us time to figure out how much we have - and to go find more if we come up short.
(continued)
Snow_Globe: Joining the Scoop
Kyo_Chan: Get Involved! The City Scoop
Editor In Chief: Snow_Globe
Assistant Editor: Lemur_Lad
Copy Editor: Cende
Email for large submissions: thecityscoop@gmail.com
(from previous)
If you are an event coordinator and think you might want your event covered in the Scoop, get in touch with us for our new Event Reporting Form! You can use it as a guideline to writing your own article about your event, or you can simply fill it in, and we'll write your article for you! Get it before you start your event, that way you have it on hand, can note down any memorable events as they happen, and make sure you get the names down immediately.
Additionally, if you have any ideas on articles you might like to see in the Scoop, but just don't think you can do an article justice, feel free to contact any of the Editing staff and make the suggestion. It might take a little while for us to write the article, but we will definitely give it some consideration. After all, this paper is for you, and what you want to see in it matters to us.
Oh, and for the publication of Volume 2, Issue 36? Watch for it next Friday, March 6th.
Message from Equation to Arbiter Fabulous fans:
A very, very dear friend of mine was struck by a car and killed recently. Due to this, I may need to go cross-country to his funeral sometime soon.
I encourage you to send in letters to Arbiter Fabulous with screenshots, and I will try to have an article next week. Sadly, I just do not have it in me to do my normal rounds of humor.
I do ask one thing of you all: If you have a close friend, one that you may not have talked to recently, then please, for me, call them and just tell them how much they truly mean to you.
With love and respect,
Equation
"What do you mean, today's City Scoop is only 1 page?"
Mission Statement
By Lemur_Lad
The City Scoop is an evolving publication, but we have a few core goals we try to hold to. We try to collect and present the vibe of the forums and the community for everyone to read. We try to cover events timely and important, as well as things that are educational, interesting, or just plain amusing. We love having a Scoop done every week but it's hard because Real Life Comes First has been our biggest guiding star. We don't expect people to write every week, and all we ask is folks who want to contribute on a regular basis let us know if they are running low on inspiration.
If you have something you want to share with the community, or just think you have some skills with layout or editing that you think can help us out, then get in touch with us.
Comic
By Brazilian Ninja